Fire Department Announces Public Protection Class 2 Rating
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Feb 17, 2020, 0 Comments
Courtesy Rafael Benavides,
National rating means superior property fire protection, lower insurance prices for residents
LAREDO, Texas—The City of Laredo announced Wednesday that fire-protection services by the Laredo Fire Department have improved to Class 2/2X from Class 3, as rated by Insurance Service Office Inc. (ISO), an insurance industry advisory company. ISO had previously rated the Laredo Fire Department with a Public Protection Class (PPC) 3 with a 75.56 score. The most recent score of 88.65 this month reclassified the department and its services as a Public Protection Class 2/2X.
This reduced rating puts the City of Laredo in a special group of communities in the state of Texas and across the country. Among the 1,600 fire departments across the state of Texas, Laredo is among only 246 fire departments to receive this rating which means that we are insured to provide the best quality protection services for our community.
ISO currently rates over 47,500 fire departments within the United States and of those, only 2 percent of them receive a rating of 2 or below.
The Insurance Service Organization (ISO) evaluates municipal fire-protection capabilities in communities across the United States. ISO analyzes the fire protection capabilities and assigns a PPC rating to each fire department from 1 to 10. Class 1 represents superior property fire protection, and Class 10 indicates the worst.
Virtually all U.S. insurers of homes and business property use ISO’s Public Protection Classifications in calculating premiums. In general, the price of fire insurance in a community with a good PPC is substantially lower than in a community with a poor PPC, assuming all other factors are equal.
“The public should be reassured today in knowing that our fire department has been recognized with one of the highest ranks available regarding public protection and safety,” said Mayor Pete Saenz. “This is yet another fine example of what we stand for as a city. We are planning for the future and continuing to raise the bar. And for that, I want to congratulate our fire chief and staff who are doing a phenomenal job to protect all residents in Laredo.”
“This is a great accomplishment and falls in line with the goals we have set for the future of our city,” said Co-Interim City Managers Rosario Cabello and Robert Eads. “This rating is another component that we use to market and tell the story of our city as a great place to live and work. We thank and recognize Chief Landin and all of our fire and EMS workers for the important job they do every day.”
“We are only 1.4 points away from a Class 1 rating, the highest rating available,” said Laredo Fire Chief Steve Landin. “I am very optimistic that we can achieve a Class 1 rating in the next few years. I am proud to say our whole organization exemplifies true professionalism and the highest standards for firefighting and public protection. I thank the team for their preparation in this effort, the City of Laredo 9-1-1 dispatch center, the Utilities Department and staff and our fire department administration for their help in this process.”
The classification by ISO, known as the Public Protection Classification (PPC) program, assesses the fire-protection efforts in a particular community. ISO collects information on municipal fire-protection efforts in communities throughout the United States. In each of those communities, ISO analyzes the relevant data using its Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). The company then assigns a Public Protection Classification from 1 to 10. Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire-suppression program doesn’t meet ISO’s minimum criteria.
By classifying communities’ ability to suppress fires, ISO helps the communities evaluate their public fire-protection services. The program provides an objective, countrywide standard that helps fire departments in planning and budgeting for facilities, equipment, and training. And by securing lower fire insurance premiums for communities with better public protection, the PPC program provides incentives and rewards for communities that choose to improve their firefighting services.
For more information on the ISO PPC Program, visit https://www.isomitigation.com/ppc/program-works/
